Pretending
by DemonicxAngel
Summary: "This girl? No way I'm dating her!" "That's my line, kelp head!"- Boy meets girl. Boy hates girl. Vice versa. What happens when the fathers of both teenagers force them into a fake relationship in order to cease the fighting between their gangs? Percabeth
1. Prologue

**Pretending**

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***EDIT (6/5/12): I own rights to the PLOT of this story and the COVER of the story.**

**Hi** **everyone,**

**Sorry about skipping around from fanfic to fanfic - I can't seem to settle down (probably because I never finish all the chapters to my stories before uploading them to FF) - BUT I WILL TRY, I PROMISE. AND I WILL TRY CONTINUING OTHER INCOMPLETE FANFICS. xD!**

**Additionally, let me go ahead and apologize for such a short prologue (It's like a couple hundred words - my shortest written 'chapter' (I guess it somewhat qualifies for a chapter)).**

**Without further ado, please enjoy my new creation. **

**#(AU - Alternate Universe)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the PJO character associated with the writing of this story.**

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Summary: Percy Jackson is the son of a powerful gang. When a blonde student transfers to his class, Percy has a difficult time getting along with her. Her father is the leader of his rival gang, but that's not the worst part. In order to cease fighting between the two sides, Percy and his newfound enemy, must convince gang members of both sides that they are madly in love. Will this plan fool the gangs? And more importantly, will hate blossom into love?

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**Prologue**

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Ordinary – that's how many people turn out in their lifetimes. Going to average schools, getting average grades, maintaining an average, stable job, and perhaps even having an average, typical family life.

At a first glance, Percy Jackson is the most normal teenage boy that you'll ever meet. He's not ugly, but he isn't the best-looking boy in class. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed. He's not the most athletic. He's not a comedian. He's not a romantic. He's not charismatic or smooth.

Yes, he's very normal. An Average Joe to be exact.

But there's one thing that makes him stand out above all of the Average Joes out there: his family life.

Now, now – let's clarify one thing. Percy was born into a 'family' of gangsters. Or rather, a family that runs a gang. And of course, being our protagonist, his father is the head of this gang.

Amazingly, Percy wants none of that. He wants to be ordinary – strives to be ordinary. At school, he can be normal. He has a crush like most ordinary people of his age. He has even made some friends, like an ordinary person.

But at the end of the day, when he is led into a black limousine by five or six men dressed in expensive tuxedos, referring to him (despite his protests) by the title of "young master," he knows that he will never be a normal teenager.

Maybe, just maybe, that's the way his life is supposed to work out.

Because fate never knocks on the wrong door.

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**There you go! :)**

**Please Review and tell me what you thought of what's written so far.**

**Thanks alot, I appreciate the views and support,**

**Tina**


	2. Chapter 1: New Student pt 1

**Hi guys! **

**I've been thinking of a way to kick off the story and I finally came up with something. I originally was going to make this chapter lengthier than it is, but I decided to stop at a point that would keep my reader's interests.**

**Oh, just to clarify one thing, Percy & Co. do not have ADHD, dyslexia, or any of the side effects from being a demigod. :)**

**I would do the whole disclaimer thing, but it's already in my prologue.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1: New Student (pt. 1)**

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"YOUNG MASTER! Are you sure you don't want a ride to school?" a buff, mustached man called from inside of a sleek black luxury limousine.

For the hundredth time that morning, Percy Jackson felt one of his veins pop in his forehead, "Yes, I'm sure, Cole. Now please. _Please_ stop following me."

"But… But what if you get mugged? What if you get shot? We can't let that happen, now, can we?" the same man insisted, genuinely concerned about the young boy's safety. The limousine he was riding in continued to trail Percy.

"We're in a good neighborhood," Percy sighed, "And besides, need I remind you that we only live a few blocks away from the school?"

"But master…" Cole whined, only to shrink in front of one of Percy's cold, steely glares, "Fine, fine. But if you get mugged, shot, beat up, kidnapped, drowned... oh god! I'm sorry, young master! I can't believe I've thought such horrible thoughts! Please allow to apologize by escorting you to school."

Again, Percy sighed, "Quit it, will you? Just leave me alone. I'm safe all by myself." And with that, Percy walked in silence the remaining couple blocks to his high school, with the limousine tailing him; his efforts to shake his followers resulting in complete and utter failure.

Arriving at the main entrance of school, he was greeted by a sea of busy students. His unnoticed arrival at the school would not last long because each day, his gang members made it their job to sabotage his social life, though they seemed to honestly have no idea what they were doing.

"HAVE A GREAT DAY AT SCHOOL, YOUNG MASTER!" Cole waved furiously from the limo, "Oh! I think I see that girl that you always talk about! You should go over to her and say hi, master!"

Percy felt like he was going to die of embarrassment. Calypso, the girl of his dreams, stood not too far from him, giggling at Cole's babbling. What a _great_ way to start the day.

To make matters worse, a blonde girl, who seemed to be in a rush, rammed her shoulder full force into Percy's chest; making him lose all sense of balance.

"Sorry," she muttered hurriedly. Percy watched from his new spot on the ground as the girl tackled through the mob of students clogging the entrance.

Today was just not his day.

But hey, the sons of gang bosses never get much of a break, do they?

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Annabeth Chase was prepared to start fresh at a new school – in the middle of the school year.

School supplies? Check. "How-to-make-friends" book? Check. Status? Fabulous and ready.

She had already confirmed that she was going to attend school at Goode High in the main office several minutes ago by signing and completing the last of her transfer papers.

The only thing left on Annabeth's to-do list now was to go to her homeroom class, introduce herself, and win the hearts of every student in class with her confident, calculative, and friendly persona.

And she was a few minutes late to homeroom right now, which provided her with the opportunity to have a grand entrance.

Her hand hovered above the door knob to her assigned homeroom and she finally turned it when she gathered enough nerve.

All discussions in the classroom stopped as Annabeth came in.

"Why hello. You must be…," the teacher quickly glanced at her attendance sheet, "Annabeth Chase. I'm Ms. Cooper. Would you care to introduce yourself to your classmates?"

Annabeth stepped forward, shoulders cocked, "Hi, my name is Annabeth Chase. I've moved to New York from California. I'm new here and I hope that we can all get along."

She scanned the room, taking in the reactions of her peers. Most students seemed eager to befriend her, which was a great sign. One boy in particular intrigued her, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"Hey! You're that amazon lady who shouldered me this morning!" the boy yelled.

"A-ma-zon?" the class chorused in curiosity.

Annabeth's eye twitched in annoyance. This was not a part of her perfect-high school-entrance plan.

"It was an accident. Besides, I already apologized to you."

"That was an apology?" the boy scowled. The whole class fell silent, watching the two exchange words.

"Yes it was. Now stop imagining that you're this big victim that I happened to run into a little."

"_A little_? I almost fainted back there!" the boy shouted defiantly.

"What, do you have low blood pressure? I already apologized so just forgive me, you wimp!"

"Is that how you apologize to others? You're… you're an ape!"

"Shut up!" Annabeth screamed back at the boy. The boy seemed as taken aback as the rest of the class. Ms. Cooper cleared her throat a bit. Annabeth lowered her head in shame, completely forgetting a teacher was in her presence. She watched her opportunities for maintaining a perfect GPA jump out of the window.

"Ah, what a wonderful surprise! You two know each other!" the teacher clapped, pleased.

"Huh," was the most intelligible thing that Annabeth seemed to manage at the time.

"Wait, we don't…," the boy began.

"Percy," Ms. Cooper interrupted forcefully, "Be a gentleman and show Annabeth around the school. Oh, and, before I forget to bring up this point, I hate how you carry the burden of taking care of the school aquarium all by yourself. So, as a solution, Annabeth can be your assistant from now on." Seeing the shocked, indignant face of Annabeth, Ms. Cooper added, "Don't look so worried, dear. It's a great learning experience. Besides, it will only be for the rest of this school year."

"WHAT?" Annabeth screamed. That's like, three to four months, she mentally cursed.

Percy, the boy who Annabeth now identified as a sworn enemy, seemed at a loss for words. His mouth continued to open and close – he was probably trying to speak, but his shock prevented him from doing so.

"Excellent, no objections," Ms. Cooper smiled cheerfully, "Okay, everyone, you may proceed to your first period class."

_What have I done to deserve such misfortune? All of my high school fantasies have been thrown onto the floor and stomped on_, Annabeth wailed internally.

All students stampeded to the homeroom exit while two very depressed teens stayed back, attempting to overcome the trauma of their situations.

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Percy wasn't the type of guy to have many girlfriends. Heck, he'd never even dated a girl in his life. A reason for this was studying super hard to get good grades (but to no avail) so that Percy could avoid taking over his family's gang and instead hold a highly sought after job.

Another reason was that Percy didn't fall for girls left and right.

Calypso was his current love interest and before her was a red headed girl named Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Percy could barely remember any details about his first love. However, all he could recall was that she was some girl he was extremely close with ten years ago.

Before she moved away, they made a promise that in ten years' time, they would meet again and get married. As a symbol of their promise, the girl gave Percy a pendant with a keyhole in it and kept the key to the lock. She vowed that when they were reunited, she would open the lock and take out what was inside.

Ten years had passed since then and the pendant that he wore every day and night remained unopened.

And with each passing year, Percy's confidence in finding his first love grew weaker.

He wondered if she remembered their promise. How did she look now… how did her personality develop… and would they still get along? Would she be feminine and delicate or…

"Hey, jerk face," Annabeth called, snapping Percy out of his daze. Percy scowled. _Or would she be insufferable and irritating like her?_

School had ended about fifteen minutes ago. Percy had brought Annabeth to the school aquarium out of obligation, though he would rather work alone.

"What?" Percy answered with more venom than he intended.

"I asked you if this looked like enough food for the fish," Annabeth gestured toward a small fish tank filled with almost half the contents of the fish pellet container. Percy's jaw dropped.

"THAT'S TOO MUCH, YOU IDIOT!" Percy shouted, rushing to scoop out the excessive amount of food in the tank before it harmed the fish.

"YOU'RE THE IDIOT! LOOK WHO OVERFLOWED THAT TANK OVER THERE WHILE HE WAS DAYDREAMING!" Annabeth retaliated.

"I'm going to have a heart attack with you around," Percy groaned, turning to the other tank that required his attention.

"Good, I look forward to it."

"I hate you."

"I hate you twice as much."

"Stop the fighting." Annabeth and Percy turned their heads to the entrance of the aquarium to where Calypso, of all people, stood. Percy immediately felt his cheeks heat up.

"O-oh hey," Percy mumbled. Calypso waved a bit shyly at him. Annabeth just stood by, enjoying the awkwardness between Percy and Calypso.

"Who are you?" Annabeth interrogated, making eye-contact with Calypso.

"I'm Calypso, a classmate of yours. Don't mind me… I'm just here to watch you two at work," Calypso said almost too eagerly.

"So, like… are you both going out?" Annabeth asked again, shamelessly. Percy and Calypso's faces simultaneously turned pink. "Is that a yes?"

"NO! I mean," Percy regained his composure, "No. We're just friends. There's no love between us whatsoever." Calypso nodded her head in agreement but the trace of disappointment on her face said otherwise.

When mentioning love, Percy subconsciously reached for the base of his neck, feeling for the one thing that meant the world to him through childhood and into his adolescent years.

And he made an astonishing discovery. His pendant was gone.

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***Just to clear things up, Percy wears his pendant all the time - to school and back, at home, etc. Okay, maybe he doesn't wear it to the shower or to go to sleep, but that's not the point. xD**

**Fret not, the Percabeth will come along. I'm just easing into it because I don't feel like stories with the immediate lovey-dovey action are interesting.**

**Please click the blue button with the speech bubble on it to leave a review! **

**Love it, Hate it? Rate it. xD**

**Tina**


	3. Chapter 2: New Student pt 2

**Hi! Back with a pretty quick update. :D**

**I want to thank **_chinfev1203_** & **_Victoria Valdez_ **for being my only reviewers. xD But I also want to thank those who have added this story to their favorites and alerts. Thank you! :) This is what encourages me to write. :D**

**This chapter is a continuation to the previous chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2: New Student (pt. 2)**

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"It's gone," Percy muttered over and over in disbelief.

"What is it now?" Annabeth asked, not really caring about the answer.

"My pendant – it's gone," Percy groaned. Recovering, he added, all while glaring at Annabeth, "And it's partially because of you and your stupid shoulder ramming."

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Look for it," Percy commanded.

Annabeth sighed, "Fine – but just stop whining and complaining. I'll only help you look after school. And you have to promise never to speak to me again during school after I find it."

Percy nodded, agreeing to her terms.

"Wait, Percy," Calypso interrupted, "You mentioned a pendant, right? How does it look?"

"It has a chain about this long," Percy drew an oval in the air, "It's shaped like the sun – sort of. And… It has a keyhole. It's a lock, essentially."

"Did you say… keyhole?" Calypso did a good job of making the question sound casual.

"Yeah. Have you seen it before?" Percy asked.

"Nope," Calypso replied a tad too quickly, "Sorry you two, but I have someplace to be right now… I would help you, but my mom's waiting for me at home. Good luck with finding the pendant, Percy."

When Calypso left, Percy and Annabeth shrugged it off and resumed caretaking work. In the depths of his mind, Percy couldn't help but wonder if Calypso was somehow connected to his childhood.

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Six days had passed since Annabeth's arrival to Goode High (not including the weekend). Things between Percy and Annabeth were still rocky. But however much Annabeth hated Percy, she still came each day to the school yard and searched for his pendant. Maybe it was because she felt like she _had _to - she did hit him pretty hard on her first day of school. Or maybe it was because he slightly mentioned that it was part of a promise he kept with a girl ten years ago.

Nonetheless, this was why girls were always difficult to understand for Percy. Annabeth was a perfect example of why girls were complex creatures.

Ms. Cooper had arranged for Annabeth to sit next to Percy and become his partner. On his fourth day with her as a class partner, he noticed her struggling with classwork (which was, in the short time that he knew her, rare). Percy, being a gentleman, took notes for her and handed them to her. Instead of graciously accepting his notes, Annabeth stubbornly refused it, reminding him that he shouldn't be talking to her.

During their talks (well, arguments) after school, while looking for Percy's pendant, Percy noticed several odd things about Annabeth. She was closed off – she was extremely touchy and secretive about her family life. She didn't truly explain why she randomly transferred here with half the school year remaining.

But the oddest thing about her was her smell. It wasn't that she smelled like mothballs or anything. It was just so nostalgic and familiar – it was unmistakably a scent from his childhood.

"Oh gods, this is bad." Percy stood from his squatting position on the ground and turned around, facing an approaching Annabeth.

"You're late, Annabeth. Hurry up and help me out."

"I can't take it anymore! Will this nightmare ever end?"

"W-what's gotten into you?" Percy questioned, afraid of the answer.

"Some girls in class told me that… that…," Annabeth moaned, "that they noticed us spending a lot of time with each other and thought that we were going out. How do we look like we're having fun together? The only reason why we're together after school is because I'm helping a Seaweed Brain look for something!"

"Well, it's your negligence that caused this in the first place!"

"You weren't even carrying it properly! Besides, it's _you_. It's been one week already – give up on it! Somebody probably picked it up and threw it into the trash because they thought it was garbage!"

"You wouldn't know that! We have the benefit of doubt here. And that pendant is something really important to me!" Percy shouted angrily, looking for any shred of empathy in Annabeth's eyes. The scene with his first love kept replaying in his mind – a young girl promising Percy that both of them would remember each other and that Percy was to treasure her gift to him.

"I never knew that losing a pendant could be so damaging to a man. Are you the kind of guy who can't fall asleep without his favorite teddy bear in his arms?" Annabeth continued, "It's just something that you got from a girl you liked a long time ago! Stop being dragged into the past and grow up! I bet that she has forgotten that she gave it to you. How lame – you're such an idiot!"

"SHUT UP!" Percy yelled, "You don't have to look for it anymore. Just... just go away!" Calypso, who had been watching their dispute (unnoticed) for a minute or so, was shaken by Percy's out-of-character behavior.

For a long minute, Annabeth and Percy stood a few feet from each other, eyes narrowed at one another. It was Annabeth, however, who moved away first.

"… Okay," Annabeth muttered, turning on her heel and walking away from Percy. Percy expected to feel good after standing up to her incessant insults and rude remarks. But he didn't. He felt like he had tossed aside his morals. Yelling at a girl made him feel like less of a man.

Annabeth had been helping him look for his pendant the entire time though she didn't have to – and Percy was grateful for that. _But it's too late to say anything now_, he thought.

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After the incident with Annabeth, Percy continued his search for the pendant every day after school. A few days had passed and Annabeth's words still rang in his mind.

On this particular day, Percy's frustration was at its peak. He was ready to give up completely on his mission.

"Percy." The raven-headed boy in question snapped his head up from his kneeling position, his eyes meeting Calypso's. He stood, face warming. "Annabeth wants to see you," Calypso continued, "Follow me."

Calypso led Percy to the school yard where an impatient Annabeth was waiting.

"Here," Annabeth said, thrusting an object into Percy's hand. She walked off without another word. Percy's hand coiled around the object handed to him by Annabeth. It was his pendant.

"This is- but why did she…?" there were so many questions running through Percy's mind.

"You know, Annabeth has been looking for your pendant this whole time. She told me not to tell you anything," Calypso answered shyly.

Percy was awed. Annabeth may be infuriating, but she had some good points to her, he supposed. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and reattached the chain to his pendant, putting it on.

"Maybe I should give up on this ridiculous promise…," Percy muttered more to himself than to anyone else.

"N-No! You shouldn't! Don't!" Calypso managed to stutter out, "What I meant to say is… you promised someone. If she remembered the promise like you have, then I'm sure she would be upset if you gave up on her. Even if it's just a child's promise from ten years ago, I'm sure that it might be important to her right now as well..."

For a split second, Percy imagined that Calypso was his first love. But that thought slipped from his mind as quickly as it had come.

"S-sorry! I seem to be super philosophical today…" Calypso apologized, averting her gaze from his in embarrassment.

"Thanks for the advice. I guess you're right – whether I see her, or I don't see her doesn't change the fact that this promise is important to me. I'll be sure to cherish it," Percy smiled, "Well, I've got to run. Later."

And with that, Percy left Calypso behind, failing to notice her clutch at something at the bottom of her own neck.

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"Good afternoon, young master!" the large group of gang members chorused at the gate to the Jackson residence. Percy waved them off, and continued on the trail to his mansion.

While walking, he spotted a limousine in the garage that did not belong to his family. _H_ow _odd, dad usually tells me when we have guests_, Percy thought to himself.

"Young Master – there's something we haven't told you about before." Percy spun around to see Cole with a heavily padded bandage over his right ear.

"Ah! What happened? Are you bleeding?"

"Yes, see, there's this new gang in the neighborhood and we've been exchanging gunfire for the past few days. At the rate we're going, Part of my ear got shot off, see-"

"No thanks, I don't want to see. How come you didn't tell me about this earlier?" Percy interrupted.

"Didn't want to worry our young master, of course," Cole said, walking Percy to the mansion, "Well, I've gotta join the other boys – security, you know? See ya, lad."

Standing before the front door, Percy got out his keys, but didn't get the chance to use them because the door swung open.

"You're back, son. Good timing, come to my room," Poseidon, Percy's father, took a hold of his son's wrist and pulled him along with him to his room.

"What is it, dad?" asked Percy, settling onto the couch in his father's room.

"Have you heard about the war with the gangsters?" Nod. "Well, it looks like we're on the brink of an all-out war."

"Are we going to be okay if that happens?"

"We definitely won't come out unscathed. But see, that's where you come in, son. There _is_ a way to prevent this war. And it's something that only you can do."

Percy pondered this for a minute, "Something that only I can do…?"

"Precisely – I'm glad that you catch on, son. In all honesty, I'm old friends with the boss of our rival gang. And he has a daughter your age. We were thinking that, well… if you two were to… you know…," Poseidon cleared his throat, while Percy braced himself for the next line, "to date… peace will come between our gangs at last."

"What? Date? Why do I have to do that?"

"Geez, you can fake it if you want, kiddo. Those young'uns wouldn't do anything if both sides' heirs are dating, am I right?"

"B-but – you can't joke about this sort of thing! You know, I…," Percy paused, embarrassed to speak about girls and his crush on Calypso in front of his father.

"I'm sorry, boy, but lives are at stake here. You _will _do it, even if you're bawling your eyes out." Percy sank in his spot on the couch.

"Come on in," Poseidon grinned. A conversation between a feminine and a masculine voice now could be heard through the door.

"But I'm not ready, father-"

"Yes you are. I hear the boy's a hunk."

"What? But-but…" Percy's ears perked up. The girl's voice was eerily familiar… No, it couldn't be! He shut his eyes tightly.

Poseidon opened the door, presenting to Percy his new 'girlfriend' for the next who-knows-how-long.

When Percy finally opened his eyes, he found himself locking eyes with the stormy, wild, and surprised grey ones of Annabeth Chase.

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**OH NOES.**

**Oh yes.**

**The drama is about to unfold, my dear readers... Muahahaha! :D**

**Please review and I will update faster (hopefully). xD Love it, Hate it? Rate it.**

**Tina**


	4. Chapter 3: Reactions and Suspicions

**Hello,**

**Back with another quick update. Honestly, this has to be the longest chapter I've ever written in the history of all chapters I've ever written. xD The word count is approximately 2,600, excluding my author's notes. I'm proud, haha. :')**

**Many thanks to** _Kluxi, How am I suppose to know, Sapphire-Zebra, PJOaddict16, Pug1998, chinfev1203, lilianlawrence, _**and the **_anonymous reviewers_ **for taking the time to review the previous chapter. 12 reviews - I'm so happy, I can't thank you guys enough! **

**I'd also like to thank everyone who has added this story to their favorites and alerts. I appreciate your support! :)**

**Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 3: Reactions and Suspicions**

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Everything started to come together in Percy's mind. Why Annabeth had transferred to New York at such an odd time... and especially why she didn't want to talk about her family.

"This is Annabeth Chase, Percy. Starting from this point on, you two will be 'lovers' for two to three years," Poseidon nodded happily, openly showing his approval for Annabeth.

"You-you're the daughter of a gangster?" Percy shakily pointed a finger at Annabeth.

"And you're… the second master to a gangster family…?" Annabeth mimicked Percy, pointing a finger at him.

"You've got to be kidding, dad," Percy cried, "This girl? No way I'm dating her!"

"That's my line, kelp head!"

"Oh, you two already know each other? How splendid!" Poseidon laughed, amused.

"I do believe they're in the same school – Goode High, am I correct?" a blonde, middle-aged man clarified.

"What's going on here, father?" Annabeth asked, outraged.

"Let me reintroduce you. This is Perseus or Percy for short – my son," Poseidon placed his hand over Percy's shoulder firmly, "and this is the boss of the "Athens" gang, Frederick Chase. You've already met his daughter, Annabeth, as I've noticed."

"I've heard a lot of good things about you from your father, Percy. I'm glad that I'm leaving my daughter in good hands," Frederick Chase smiled.

"Uh, thank you, sir. WAIT, NO! I… I can't date her! This is outrageous!" Percy shouted.

"Father, we don't get along at all! Why do I have to date this Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth complained.

"Yeah, dad, there's no way that a Wise Girl and I would be able to get along!"

"What the- You don't have the right to say that, you selfish man!"

"You're being just as selfish as I am, you gorilla!" Percy seethed.

"Oh, so you two _are_ on good terms," Poseidon chuckled.

"NO WE'RE NOT," Percy and Annabeth yelled at the same time. Frederick and Poseidon laughed at the reactions of their teenage children.

"There's no other way to stop the war, children. And besides… things aren't going to look so good for both sides if this continues."

At that moment, the door to Poseidon's room opened again, and a man unknown to Percy stepped in uninvited. He was a tall, well-built man who was dressed elegantly. He had chestnut brown hair and wore wire-rimmed glasses. Strapped to his belt was a holster holding a pistol. Percy shivered at the thought of being shot.

"Annabeth! I've been searching all over for you!" the man paused, glaring at Percy and his father, "So… it appears as though those "Riptide" punks have kidnapped you… Rest assured, Annabeth, dear! As one of the leaders of the Athens gang, I, the unworthy Levi, have made it my duty to protect you."

"Wait, you're misunderstanding, Levi-" Annabeth began, only to be interrupted by some Riptide gang members bursting through the door. Among the members was Cole, who, like this Levi character, was armed with a pistol. He was toying around with a pocket knife in his hand.

"Are you okay, sir?" a Riptide gang member rushed over to Poseidon's side.

"Yes, I'm quite fine, thank you," Poseidon responded. Cole refused to believe that, violently poking a finger into Levi's shoulder blade.

"I've been holding back this entire time, but you've crossed the line this time," Cole growled, his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor nowhere in sight.

"I'll have you know that if you lay a finger on our Annabeth, this city will go down in flames and we'll cut your precious little heir into tiny pieces," Levi threatened. If there was any more tension in that room, the roof would've came off.

"Why don't you go ahead and try and do that? If you even touch young master, we'll make sure that anyone connected to your gang won't ever be able to walk again," Cole countered.

"Hey, hey, settle down, you rambunctious young'uns. You seem to misinterpret what is happening here," Frederick Chase interrupted.

"BOSS! Why are you here?" Levi asked, noticing Frederick for the first time.

"Well, for one very important reason, my friend," Frederick chuckled, "You've got it all wrong, see. Our dear Annabeth wasn't kidnapped or anything of the sort…"

"Because these two," Poseidon continued for Frederick, gesturing towards Percy and Annabeth who awkwardly stood side by side, "are a couple who are madly in love."

"WHAT?" was the reaction of everyone in the room, excluding Poseidon and Frederick. Percy's eye twitched. Disgust was written all over Annabeth's face.

_You dumb old man, _Percy cursed, _you're just fanning the fire with your __**impeccable**__ timing…_

"Is this true, boss…?" Levi clenched his fists.

"Yes, we've accepted it," Frederick confirmed; Poseidon nodding his agreement.

For a minute or two, only silence followed his statement.

Then, Cole took everyone by surprise, "Incredible, young master! You finally got yourself a girlfriend! Oh, you wouldn't believe how worried all of us were because you hadn't had a single girlfriend at your age! This is a day to remember! Ah, young love!" Annabeth was in hysterics, laughing so hard that she had to catch her breath. Percy could only stare at his feet, face red._ Thanks, Cole._

It was Levi's turn, "Annabeth…"

"Y-yes?" Annabeth answered, fearing Levi's usual exaggerated reactions.

"You've finally gotten to 'that' age… I've watched you grow from a little girl in diapers to a wonderful young lady… I'm so proud and happy for you that I can cry!" Levi sniffled a bit, emphasizing his point. It was Percy's turn to laugh at an embarrassed Annabeth.

Cheers were heard throughout the room – Percy realized that along the way, more and more gang members of each side had entered Poseidon's room.

"We're going to stop this war for our young master!"

"We're going to ditto that motion. We want to support our young heiress so that she could date without any worries and distractions!"

Percy and Annabeth exchanged looks of disbelief. Were they the only ones on the same boat?

"W-wait a minute, everyone! Just who is my girlfriend? Why would I ever pride myself in dating a gorilla-like Wise Girl?" Percy shouted over all of the enthusiasm.

"Yeah – who in their right mind would date this Seaweed Brain-"

A bullet sped past Percy, narrowly missing his face by a couple centimeters. The bullet wedged itself into the wall behind the black-haired boy. Percy gulped.

"Yo, brat – did I hear what I thought I heard? Of all things you call her – a gorilla? You're asking for a death sentence, you piece of scum," Levi spat angrily, smoke rising from his gun.

Cole threw his pocket knife, slicing a few thin strands of Annabeth's hair before sticking to the wall. Annabeth's eyes widened. She had just seen her life flash before her eyes.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO YOUNG MASTER?" Cole yelled at Levi, "If you try touching him again, I'll really kill you!"

"You hypocrite! You almost harmed our heiress!"

"Yeah, well, she called our young master a Seaweed Brain!"

"That's only because he called her a gorilla-like Wise Girl first!" Levi argued back. The room went silent once more.

"Are you two really dating…?" the group of gangsters from both sides chorused.

_Crap_ was the thought that came to both Percy and Annabeth's minds. It made little sense that they were already going out after her being at Good High for a week or so – it seemed rather suspicious. And not only that, their behavior didn't really go along with the idea that they were dating.

"What do we do…?" Percy whispered at a volume that only Annabeth could hear.

"I guess there's only one thing we could do," Annabeth whispered back, "we have to handle this situation responsibly. If they find out that we're actually not lovers, everyone, including us, might lose their lives."

Nothing more had to be said. Percy and Annabeth knew that they had to commit to their fake relationship with all that they had.

"Young master?"

_Here goes nothing, _Percy thought.

"Of course we're in love!" Percy practically sang, "When I labeled her as gorilla-like, I meant that she was as kind and strong as a gorilla! She's a Wise Girl, alright – she's so smart and that's the best thing about her! We just wanted you to know that our love is not at all ordinary."

"Oh, darling! Stop making things between us sound so bad! The one thing I love most about you is how your mind and your thoughts flow like seaweed, dear!" Annabeth giggled uncharacteristically.

Percy and Annabeth were almost certain that their gangs wouldn't buy their act.

But surprisingly, they did a pretty good job of fooling them.

"So, these two really are a lovey dovey couple! I approve!" Cole grinned, retrieving his knife from the wall, "So, Annabeth, was it? Who confessed their love first and how?"

Percy and Annabeth stiffened.

"Uh… well, he confessed first, saying that it was a 'love at first sight,' I guess," Annabeth mumbled, improvising on the spot.

"It was a love at first sight? How I wish to be young again," Cole gushed like a teenage girl. _You __**are **__young, _Percy thought.

Levi seemed to be the only person who was not convinced of their 'love.' "Percy, right?" Nod. "I have something to ask you if that's okay with you." Another nod. "What is Annabeth's favorite food and color? If you're _so _in love with our heiress, then that should be easy to answer."

Percy cursed mentally. He had no idea. The only thing he could do is make a totally random guess.

Well, a hypothesis really. Since Percy regarded Annabeth as a part of the ape species, she probably liked bananas. Since she was a female gorilla, Percy assumed that she liked silverback gorillas (male gorillas). Bananas and Silver. It was perfect.

"She likes… bananas and the color silver," Percy answered uncertainly.

"How odd. She does like silver, I'll give you that, but she absolutely despises bananas," Levi pushed up the bridge of his glasses.

"I LOVE BANANAS!" Annabeth lied, nervously covering up for Percy, "I guess I started liking them without you knowing, haha…"

"Next question," Cole began.

"Wa-wait a minute! Isn't asking questions rude? I demand some privacy here, you're embarrassing us," Annabeth interrupted, her face red.

"I'm sorry, young miss! But one last question, I promise. It's important," Cole leaned in towards Annabeth and Percy, "Have you two… kissed yet?"

Annabeth froze, at a loss for words.

"O-of course we have," Percy laughed nervously, answering for Annabeth.

"Young master, please be quiet – I'm speaking to your girlfriend." Percy shuddered at the word _girlfriend_.

_I know it's hard to say, Annabeth, _Percy thought, _but you have to – if you don't we'll…_

"We… we… we haven't yet! Why would I?" Annabeth responded, disgusted at the thought.

Everything went quiet. _It's over for all of us, _Percy internally cried.

"Way to go! Young love is supposed to be pure! Today is the birth of the world's greatest couple!" Cole beamed.

_What the – we're saved? Good job, Annabeth._

"Yeah, had you two kissed within ten days of your relationship, we'd all be seeing blood," an Athens gang member noted casually.

All members of either gang cheered, while Levi snuck out of the room unnoticed, tied to his own suspicious thoughts.

* * *

It was night. A breeze gently tousled Percy's raven-black hair. He was sitting beside Annabeth on the floor of the balcony to his father's room, his legs hanging over the edge and in between railings. They both desperately needed an escape from the probing questions and noisiness from both gangs. And they also needed some quiet time to reflect upon their current situations.

"Why did it have to turn out this way…?" Percy sighed, breaking the silence between Annabeth and himself.

"Well, you can't stop it even if you ask that… Now that things have turned out this way, the only thing we can do is keep with it," Annabeth said.

"Right when I was able to get rid of you, too! Agh, just my luck!" Percy quipped.

"Don't think that I don't feel the same way about you! And what was with that answer? Bananas? Seriously?"

"Hey, hey! I didn't have a single clue!"

Annabeth sighed, burying her face into her knees. Percy could never have had imagined that Annabeth was from such a similar world to his.

"What do couples do?" Annabeth brought her face up again.

"Like I would know! I haven't dated anyone before," Percy said.

"I haven't either!"

"Really?" Percy was unwilling to believe this.

"I'm not especially great at love or anything. I don't really understand how it goes…," Annabeth confessed, resting her chin on her knees.

Percy carefully observed Annabeth for the first time. She had a slender, delicate build. Her blonde hair curled softly, tumbling well beyond her shoulders. Her face was angular, her nose was perfectly straight, and her grey eyes were fascinating. It was truly a wonder, with the looks she was given, why Annabeth had no experience with love. But Percy understood – it wasn't easy to socialize when you had a gang as your family.

The 'couple' bathed in silence again until Percy remembered to bring up a very important point.

"Hey, Annabeth… uh, thanks for finding my pendant," Percy said, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"I was going to feel bad if I didn't find it, so thank me a ton!" Annabeth huffed, "But… you never told me the full story behind the pendant. It looks like you've taken good care of it. Is it somebody else's?"

Percy figured he'd come clean with the story behind the pendant, even if she laughed – he owed her that much.

"As I've told you before, someone gave it to me a long time ago," Percy said thoughtfully, reminiscing his past, "back when I was a kid, I used to get dragged along my dad's 'business' trips and I got to know a girl. I forgot where it was that I met her, but our friendship was magical. She gave it to me as a symbol of our promise to meet again someday. I can't remember anything about her except for our promise. I've always thought that keeping the pendant will reunite us someday." When there was no reaction from Annabeth, Percy quickly added, "Aren't you going to laugh? I thought that you hated people who were stuck in their pasts."

"What I hate is people who complain about their failures or things that they can't possibly change," Annabeth said, turning to face Percy, her silver eyes catching some of the moonlight, "I definitely don't hate those sorts of romantic things." Annabeth seemed to have taken a genuine interest in Percy's story.

_Whoa, she has a cute side, _Percy thought, staring at a smiling Annabeth, _Wait! I'm supposed to like Calypso! Why is my heart skipping a beat over a gorilla?_

"A-anyway! We need to find a way to end this war without being a couple. I seriously can't have you as a girlfriend," Percy said.

"Likewise. If this charade continues, I'll die from my severe allergies for Seaweed Brains!"

"Miss Annabeth," Levi slid open the sliding balcony door, interrupting what looked to be a fight, "It's late, we have to get home."

"Okay," Annabeth turned to Percy, "See you, loser."

"Good night, Wise Girl."

"Whatever." Percy smirked at Levi and Annabeth's retreating figures.

Long after the Athens gang members left the Jackson, or rather, "Riptide" residence, Percy found himself trying to process the events of his crappy day and attempting to keep his mind off of a certain pretty, female blonde-headed nuisance.

* * *

**Ohoho, this is just the beginning, my dear readers!**

**Phew! That was long.**

**Insert plea for reviews here. :P More reviews equals a faster update. Love it, Hate it? Rate it.**

**Thanks for reading - stay tuned, my friends!**

**Tina**


	5. Chapter 4: Surveillance

***MESSAGE TO ONGOING READERS: Do you guys like my new cover for _Pretending_? I made it myself. c(:**

* * *

**A/N: Yo! Another quick update for my beloved readers.**

**Wow, this chapter is even longer than the chapter before it! I want to thank **_Pug1998, PJOaddict16, lilianlawrence, hambakhachana, Kluxi, _**and the **_anonymous reviewers_ **for reviewing my story. I also want to thank anyone who added this story to their favorites and alerts - thank you _so _much for the support!**

**Enjoy. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Surveillance**

* * *

Percy lay awake on his bed, sheets ruffled from a good night's rest. Sunlight streamed through the cracks of the blinds on his window. He was ready to fall back asleep because it was a weekend, and it was early in the morning.

Until the doorbell rang.

"Young Master!" Cole's voice floated from a floor below, "You have a guest!"

Percy groggily walked down two flights of stairs in his nightwear, rubbing his eyes. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Cole looking through the 'peep-hole' of the front door excitedly.

"I'm here. Who is it-" Percy had no time to react before Cole swung the door open. Levi and Annabeth stood before the entrance; Annabeth was clad in a simple sleeveless light grey dress that reached a few inches above her knees.

"G-good morning!" Annabeth said in mock cheerfulness, "I know that this seems sort of sudden, but do you want to go out with me on a date?" Percy blinked. Levi squeezed Annabeth's shoulder encouragingly. _So, _Percy mused, _he was the one who __**forced **__Annabeth to do this._

"Oh right, today's Saturday!" Cole grinned, "You're so lucky, young master! I'm jealous."

"You aren't serious, are you?" Percy directed his question to Annabeth, who shot him a glare in response.

"Today's a beautiful day," Levi said, adjusting his glasses, "there is absolutely no reason why a couple would not go out on a day like today."

"But why do we have to?" Percy groaned, knowing that Levi had him around his finger.

"Why? The answer is simple, young master – you two are going out," Cole laughed at the absurdity of Percy's question.

"I think I have something to do today… that's right! I'm on a busy schedule today," Percy lied, trying to weasel his way out of a date with Annabeth. The said girl looked visibly relieved.

"Is that so. Well, what could be more important than accepting an invitation for a date from your beloved girlfriend?" Levi argued logically, "Is it that you simply do not wish to be with her?" _Dammit, he still doubts our relationship_, Percy cursed.

"Fine, let's go," Percy sighed, "But first, let me change out of my pajamas."

"Understood," Levi nodded, "Take your time."

_Well_, Percy thought as he trudged back up his staircase, _this weekend totally blows._

* * *

"What did I ever do in my life to deserve such cruel punishment?" Annabeth moaned, repeatedly banging her head against a wall.

"That's my line, Wise Girl," Percy ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

Levi had personally driven both Annabeth and Percy to a nearby park and left them to their own accord about fifteen minutes ago. Currently, the date wasn't going too well.

"I've always fantasized that my first date would be amazing. Being with you is just a stain on my life," Annabeth complained.

"Well, this is my first date as well and let me tell you, it isn't exactly a fantasy for me either," Percy retorted. In the silent moping that followed, Percy snuck a glance at Annabeth. _She isn't an eyesore, that's a fact, _Percy noted.

"What… what are you looking at, you pervert? Don't stare at me," Annabeth glared at Percy, having caught him staring at her. Percy sighed. _If only this date was with Calypso_…

"This sucks," Annabeth scowled, and with a flip of her hand, she added, "Well, I'm going home first. Bye."

"Huh. Why?"

"Everyone's gone, so there's no reason for me to be with you anymore," Annabeth replied, "And don't tell me that you were seriously planning to go out on a real date."

"Of course not," Percy said with a wave, "See ya, gorilla." Annabeth began walking away.

"Later, moron. I hope I won't ever have to see your face again-" Annabeth stopped in her tracks. Crouched behind one of the many bushes in the park, keeping a watchful eye on the couple, were some Riptide gang members, one of them being Cole. Having been discovered, Cole and his men retreated to who-knows-where. Percy watched the scene with his mouth wide open.

Annabeth and Percy carefully eyed all of the bushes (and possible hiding places for that matter) in the park, discovering, to their horror, that a great deal of members from each gang had come to protect their respective heirs.

"What the heck is this?" Annabeth whispered to Percy, aghast, "Have they been watching us this whole time?"

"Let's hope not," Percy whispered back, just as horrified as Annabeth. _If everyone is here, then that must mean that there's a good chance that Levi is watching is too, _Percy speculated.

And of course, it turned out that Percy was correct.

Levi eyed the couple from afar, his back against a public restroom's outer wall, lost in his thoughts. _Those two are always acting strange – they don't even act like a couple in the slightest. There must be something behind all of this… There is no way that Miss Annabeth would fall for that savage family's brat. I will investigate the legitimacy of their relationship, _Levi internally declared, _after all, I am responsible for Annabeth's safety!_

Returning to the couple at hand, Percy and Annabeth were struggling to come up with a game plan.

"What do we do now?" Percy groaned, "I guess we've got no other choice but to go through with a real date now…"

"Gods, life really is a downer," Annabeth sighed, turning to Percy, "Obviously, the man would escort the lady to the next phase of their date, Seaweed Brain."

_What should we do? _Percy knit his eyebrows together in deep thought. _I haven't ever gotten close to a girl, let alone had experience with dating. Let's see… if I remember correctly, a dream date with Calypso would be…_

A light bulb in Percy's head went off. He would take Annabeth to the places he had dreamt of bringing Calypso to. It was genius. Surely, it would stop her complaining. It had to work.

"C'mon," Percy said, "I know a few places where we could go."

And with that, the fraudulent couple quickly left the park, leaving a pack of nosy gangsters in their wake.

* * *

Things had not gone as smoothly as Percy had planned. He tried to imagine that Annabeth was Calypso so that his first date would be remembered on a better note, but that didn't work out so well. She didn't put much of an emphasis on manners and politeness when she was angry or annoyed.

**Plan A**: taking Annabeth to a Café

"This stuff is horrible!" Annabeth complained, disgustedly mixing the black liquid in her mug, "You call this coffee?"

The waiter, a young girl, hastily apologized and took her coffee away.

Percy sunk in his seat across from her, face palming.

**Plan B**: taking Annabeth to a Fancy Restaurant

"This meat is stale!" Annabeth said, shoving the platter of medium-rare steak to Percy, "It tastes okay – but I still demand compensation for this lousy food!"

Her outburst turned heads and caused Percy to slump in his seat again.

**Plan C: **taking Annabeth to the Theatres

"Going to the movies is basic for a date," Annabeth said knowledgably, "Nothing could go wrong here."

_Grabbing a bite to eat is also basic, but you ruined it. And twice at that too_, Percy internally face palmed.

Annabeth and Percy stood on line, looking at the movie posters.

"So what are we watching?" Percy asked. He followed Annabeth's line of sight and saw that she was eying an action movie.

"That one," Annabeth said, pointing to a poster with men and guns, "I saw the commercials – the explosions and gun firing scenes looked real intense."

"Why do you want to see that movie when you can see blood at your own house for free?" Percy personally did not like the idea of watching an action flick. They were not his kind of movie. "Why don't we watch this?" he suggested, pointing at a poster with mermaids and fish scattered all over it, "I read the reviews for the movie and apparently, it's this big hit that could make you tear up."

"Oh gods, even your taste is movies is lacking," Annabeth face palmed.

The two argued for nearly an hour, stepping out of the line and weighing the pros and cons of either movie. Concluding the hours' worth of debating, the couple ended up with tickets to a romance movie.

_I guess it's appropriate for a couple to watch this sort of movie, _Percy thought, finally mustering the courage to peek at Annabeth midway through the movie.

Apparently, the blonde had fallen asleep in her seat beside him. Percy groaned. She had completely ruined any chances of making this date the least bit decent.

However, Percy noted, while admiring how Annabeth's blonde hair caressed her face in her sleep, even she can be _a_ _little_ cute as long as she didn't move or talk.

"Psst," a voice came from a few seats behind Percy. Percy's eye twitched. The voice belonged to Cole. Percy turned his head as far back as he could and caught sight of Cole and some other Riptide members. He was never going to get a break, was he?

"It's your chance! Kiss her!" one of the gangsters whispered excitedly. Percy nearly fainted.

"It's too early for that, you moron," Cole scolded the gangster who made such a suggestion, "This is the part where you're supposed to gently take her hand in yours."

"Hey, brat," another voice came from a few seats over to Percy's left, "If you're our heiress' boyfriend, you'd better hurry to it."

"Yeah, you're at a movie, so you should at least hold hands with Miss Annabeth!"

Percy glanced to his left. Several Athens gang members were sitting on the theatre seats, watching over the couple's every movement like vultures. It didn't help that Levi sat in the front row, drawing attention to himself by openly loading his gun.

Gulping, Percy shakily stretched out his hand. _Should I do it? If I don't, they'll think we're not actually dating – and if I do, Annabeth would kill me. I've never held hands with a girl before…_

Percy's hand hovered over Annabeth's. She twitched in her sleep. Percy felt his heart stop.

Annabeth unconsciously punched Percy's jaw, sending him to the floor. "You're loud!" Annabeth shouted before she regained awareness of her surroundings, "Oops."

And with that, the couple was escorted outside of the movie premises by security guards for disturbing the audience.

So much for movie dates being easy.

* * *

Percy had been rubbing his sore jaw for five consecutive minutes. Annabeth really knew how to pack a punch. They walked back to the park in tense silence until Percy decided to speak up.

"You just had to ruin the entire date, didn't you? I had my life on the line a few minutes ago and you don't even give a damn."

"Hey, I was asleep! And I don't care about you anyhow. Besides, I fell asleep because it was boring!" Annabeth complained.

"You feel asleep because you ate too much, didn't you? It must've been pretty good because I'm pretty sure I saw a little drool over here," Percy gestured toward the corner of his mouth.

Annabeth's face reddened, "Wha- I was _not_ drooling!"

"You were drooling like a dog!"

"I was not! How could you say such a thing to a lady?" Annabeth huffed, "I go on a date with you and all you do is boss me around!"

"Huh? You told me to escort you and that's exactly what I did!"

"Well, it wasn't fun."

"What should I do then?" Percy sighed.

"I'm thirsty, go get me some water! Now," Annabeth commanded.

Percy marched away, muttering things about girls and their habitual demanding. Annabeth stayed where she was, impatiently waiting for his return.

"Hey, girl."

Annabeth whipped her head around at the source of the voice. A few thugs gathered around her.

"You're a cute one. So are you free? Do you wanna drink with us?" the same voice that spoke earlier belonged to a man with a tight leather jacket. Annabeth didn't speak.

"Sorry, are you waiting for someone?" the man continued, "Whatever, let's go. I promise that you'll have fun with us." Annabeth's eye twitched, but she continued to remain silent. _Just ignore them_, she thought.

Another one of the men began to speak, "What's wrong did you get dumped by your boyfriend? You're all alone, aren't you?"

"Don't worry, we'll comfort you," the man with the leather jacket grinned. Annabeth clenched her fists.

In the distance, Levi and some other Athens gangsters aggressively shoved bullets into the chambers of their guns, angrily watching as the men circled Annabeth.

Before any blood could be shed, Percy arrived in time, shielding a furious Annabeth from the thugs. He didn't seem too happy with Annabeth's situation.

"Hey, jerks," Percy challenged, protectively pushing Annabeth back, "Back off. She's _my _girlfriend." Percy was no fighter, but the murderous look in his eyes was enough to make the thugs think twice about advancing again. Annabeth gaped at Percy. Did he just say what she thought she heard?

"Sorry to make you wait," Percy said, grabbing Annabeth by the hand and tugging her along, "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Percy plopped down onto a park bench. They had walked back to their original start point, the entrance of the park; and for once, Annabeth didn't complain or fuss about anything. In fact, she didn't even talk.

He stared at his hand, still warm from her touch. She was the first girl that he had ever officially held hands with.

"Ah," Percy sighed, "That scared me. I thought you were going to hit them."

"Why did you stop me?" Annabeth asked, glancing at Percy, "Were you trying to play the hero and save the damsel in distress from the bad guys? I'll say this now – I wouldn't even give them three sec-"

"I didn't say I want to be a hero," Percy interrupted rudely, "I'm saying that you should choose who you hit. If you hit someone as worthless as them, you're just showing that you're the same as them! And you could've gotten hurt! Don't be so pathetic!"

Annabeth paused, taking in his words. Then, she said, "I wouldn't have fought them even if you hadn't said anything!"

She began wandering away from Percy, "Any date with you is just terrible. It was boring, I got lectured, and overall, it was ruined by you."

"Hey!" Percy shouted after her.

"But then again," Annabeth stopped walking, "I wouldn't say that today is the worst day of my life. If I were to rate today's date out of a hundred points, I'd give you a bonus point of one." She turned her head to face Percy, giving him a small, authentic smile. Percy could feel his heart speed up.

"W-well, whatever. I wasn't planning on making you happy anyway, Wise Girl."

"Oh, I see. You must be waiting for that girl you made a promise with," Annabeth teased, watching as Percy jumped at the mention of his first love, "Do you still… want to see that girl?"

"Well, yeah… But I don't really know how she's turned out," Percy said, rubbing his chin, "she might be incredibly ugly right now. Actually, scratch that. It's 'her' we're talking about, so she'll be beautiful. At least more than you." Annabeth scowled. Percy laughed, "Why do you care to ask anyway?"

"No reason. It doesn't really matter to me, but I got curious so I thought I'd ask, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth began walking away from Percy again, "Bye."

"Where are you going?" Percy watched as the distance between him and Annabeth gradually increased.

"To the bathroom, don't ask, you idiot," Annabeth grumbled audibly. She placed her left hand over her right palm, feeling the place where Percy had left his touch. It was the first time a boy had grabbed her hand like that.

Meanwhile, Percy sulked in his spot on the park bench. "I seriously don't get what's going in her head," he mumbled to himself, "It would've been awesome if Calypso had taken her place in this date."

"Wh-what? Percy, did you just call my name?"

Percy stopped breathing. Slowly, he brought his head up from his hands, and met the gaze of Calypso herself.

* * *

***suspense music plays***

**Aha, so what'd you think? As I've mentioned before, I don't want to jump into the Percabeth right away, but I've got little snippets of Percabeth here and there.**

******Please do take the time to REVIEW, though, my dear readers. Love ya! :D MORE REVIEWS EQUALS A FASTER UPDATE. Very simple equation, my friends. :P**

******Tina**


	6. Chapter 5: Convincing

**Hey people!**

**Thanks to** _Pug1998, p4d, myfabulousity, Word Goddess, Kluxi, daughterofposeidonhere, crazy girl609, _**and** _BlueMuffins_ **for reviewing. Also, thanks to anyone who added this story to their faves or alerts.**

**Without further ado, enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Convincing**

* * *

Annabeth honestly didn't need to use the restroom. She needed some space from Seaweed Brain – he didn't do anything, but he was just so infuriating sometimes!

The sight that awaited her outside was unexpected. A girl was talking with Percy. An actual human girl. She was in the process of drying her hands when she heard deep, rough voices outside of the bathroom.

"… I thought it was pretty fishy…"

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean."

"That kid and Miss Annabeth don't really seem like they're in love, eh? I could've sworn they were yelling at each other – looked to me like they were fighting."

Annabeth's ears perked up. Her gang members must've been watching _everything_. _Oh, this is bad, this is really bad, _Annabeth groaned internally, _If they find out, the city will be in ruins, and I'll have wasted all of my own precious time with Percy for nothing._

Annabeth approached Percy and the girl, waving dramatically, "Honey! I'm sorry, did I make you wait?" Percy stiffened. "I took more time washing up than I thought I would!" The girl who was speaking to Annabeth turned to stare at her.

Calypso. Wait, Calypso? _What was Calypso doing here?_

Annabeth froze. Percy looked on at Annabeth in horror. Calypso stared at her shoes.

_What horrible timing, _Percy groaned internally, _Crap, and not only that, she had to act all mushy with me in front of Calypso!_

"Did you just call Percy… 'honey'?" Calypso watched as Annabeth remained unmoving and unresponsive, "Um, you know… 'honey' is a term of endearment… are you two dating by any chance…?"

"Why would you think that? We're not! Who would ever want to date her?" Percy said, jabbing a finger in Annabeth's direction.

"Same in his case, who'd ever-"

Somewhere off in the distance, bushes rustled noisily. Percy twitched. Their gangs were still following them!

_This is not good. Not good at all! I can't tell her the truth with everyone overhearing us! It'll just start a war… But to have Calypso believe that we're dating… _Percy was overwhelmed by the pressure of his situation. Meanwhile, Annabeth noticed Percy's tenseness.

"I'll be honest here…," Percy began, deciding that telling Calypso the truth would be best. Annabeth had to do something – she had to!

"That's correct!" Annabeth clung to Percy's arm, interrupting him mid-sentence, "We're actually a couple now. We just started dating not too long ago – weird, right? I guess opposites _do_ attract!" Calypso could only stare at Annabeth and Percy in shock. What in the world was going on?

"Hey, fish head," Annabeth whispered to Percy, "Play along, will you? This is embarrassing for me too! Just do it for the sake of our families' lives, you selfish person!"

Percy twitched. She just didn't understand that acting like a couple in front of Calypso was more than just embarrassing.

Somehow, what Annabeth had advised him to do didn't process in his mind.

Annabeth nudged Percy in the ribs, "We're head over heels in love with each other… isn't that right, honey?"

"I wouldn't say head over heels… more like we're just acquaintances," Percy mumbled, apparently in a trance. Annabeth twitched.

"We actually just came back from our date – we had an _amazing_ lunch together," Annabeth said, faking a smile.

"To be honest, I wasn't that hungry… she was the one who wanted to eat some meat…"

Annabeth attempted to control her voice from sounding angry, "He has invited me to watch movies with him almost every day now! He knows how to keep a girl happy."

"I guess I just happened to have plenty of pre-paid tickets… I usually watch movies by myself, you know."

Annabeth stabbed the heel of her pump into Percy's foot. He recoiled at the pain, "O-ow!"

"Well, it appears as though I have to take my leave. I'll go home for now, _honey_," Annabeth enunciated 'honey' with sarcasm, "Bye, Calypso." She stomped off; her anger apparent with every step.

Percy ran his hand through his hair, sighing. _What have I done? I was supposed to agree with everything she said, but for some annoying reason, I just couldn't._

"I think you should go after her," Calypso mumbled.

"No," Percy assured her, "She'll be fine. I can catch up to her whenever." Scratching his head, he added, "You know, we're not actually-"

"No need for explanations, Percy," Calypso smiled wistfully, "I know." Percy's shoulders sagged in relief. _So, she knew that they weren't actually 'dating.'_ She continued, "You don't have to go that extra mile to hide any embarrassment. You two look so good together, it only took me one look to realize that you two are in love with each other."

Percy died a little inside, "But we're not…"

"Oh! I forgot! I interrupted your date with Annabeth – I'm so sorry! I'll be on my way now," Calypso said hurriedly.

"Wait! Before you go…," Percy said, reaching inside of his collared shirt for his pendant, "Have you ever seen this before the day that Annabeth returned it to me?" _Crap! I didn't mean to ask her that directly!_

Calypso paused, watching as the pendant gently swung with the wind. It was almost suspicious, really – like she had actually seen it before, but was deciding whether or not to confess. Then, she answered, "No, I haven't ever seen that up until a day ago. What about it?"

"Oh, nothing…," Percy said, lowering his head a bit in disappointment.

"Okay, see you, Percy," Calypso waved.

"Yeah, later," Percy waved back. _So, she isn't 'her.' __Now that I know, it's a big load off my shoulders, _Percy thought, _but still, it would've been great if she was. Things would be different between us if that was the case. Speaking of relationships, Annabeth's going to kill me if she waits any longer!_

And with that, Percy ran to catch up with Annabeth. She didn't wander off far, did she?

* * *

Annabeth leaned over a railing to a skywalk, enjoying the view of a lake. Its water shimmered before the sunset. She had been waiting for Seaweed Brain for almost an hour – what was taking him so long?

"Hey, Wise Girl," Percy approached Annabeth cautiously. She turned to face him.

"You're finally here," Annabeth huffed, "What were you thinking before? I was just as embarrassed as you in front of Calypso, but the difference is, _I tried my best. _You almost blew our cover! What's wrong with-"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I really am," Percy swung the arm that he had behind his back forward, bringing into view an owl plushie.

"Is that… for me?"

"Yeah, it's an apology gift. I'm sorry if you don't like it – I didn't really know what to-"

"I love it!" Annabeth almost squealed, snatching the owl plushie from Percy's hands. Percy blinked. Annabeth coughed, "I mean… thanks. The gift's alright, I guess."

"That," Percy said, referring to the situation with Calypso, "was my fault. If you returned home pissed off, I wouldn't forgive myself." Upon realizing what he implied, Percy quickly amended himself, "Or any girl for that matter."

"If you're trying to bribe me, just say so. I'm warning you, that doesn't work," Annabeth sighed.

"I wasn't trying to bribe you!" Percy scowled, "It was a sincere apology gift."

"Whatever. I'm leaving. Again, thanks."

"You're welcome. Bye," Percy said almost too eagerly. And with that, they parted ways, returning home for the evening.

* * *

The moment Percy finished dinner, he plopped into bed; exhausted from dealing with Annabeth.

He had a dream – a recurring dream that technically qualified as a memory from his childhood. It was of the first meeting of six-year old Percy and the girl from his past.

_It was a blazing hot summer day. A small girl with honey-colored hair sat atop a burning sidewalk, crying because she appeared to have scraped her knee. She cradled her leg, hoping that someone would hear her cries._

"_Hey, are you okay?" a small raven-haired boy asked, kneeling next to the girl in order to better see the injury._

"_It hurts," the girl sniffled. The boy reached for her cheeks, wiping away any stray tears._

"_You're lucky, I have a band-aid," the boy smiled, taking out an unused bandage from its wrapper. He placed it over her small knee, smoothing any bumps on the bandage. As a final touch to his handiwork, he kissed the bandage._

"_That's unsanitary," the girl giggled._

"_What does that mean?" the boy stared at her, perplexed by her use of vocabulary._

"_N-nothing. Thanks," the girl smiled back; her sniffling eventually coming to a stop, "What's your name?"_

"_I'm Percy," the boy beamed, "And what about you?"_

_"My name is…"_

Percy woke up and rubbed his temples. He felt like he was never going to be able to identify the girl from his childhood.

If this kept up, he was going to lose his sanity.

* * *

**Haha, sorry for the lack of excitement at the end of the chapter - I couldn't really find a great way to end it before transitioning into a different chapter. **

**Insert pleas for reviews here. More reviews equates to faster updates. ^^**

**Thanks everyone,**

**Tina**


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